The present invention relates to a container for granular, powdery and similar products, in particular coffee beans, to be emptied into the grinder of a bar. The invention also concerns a support for such a container during emptying of its contents, which adapts to the normal bar coffee grinders currently in existence.
As is known, the various bars are normally supplied with coffee by the same company that has provided them with the equipment for preparation of the beverage. Besides the quality of the product, the cost of the coffee that is supplied takes into account the equipment supplied. The bar manager might therefore find it advantageous to purchase coffee at more competitive prices from other suppliers, such as supermarkets, for example, to the detriment of the quality of the product, for example re-using his own supplier's packaging.
An object of the invention is to eliminate or at least reduce this possibility, providing a coffee container that cannot be re-used after use, or that in any case discourages any re-use.
Another drawback of the containers currently in use, which are practically opened at the top and overturned, so that the mouth of the opening is placed in a special collection funnel provided above the grinder, is that during this operation, which, moreover, must be carried out with a certain care, the coffee-beans may be spilled.
Therefore, another object of the invention is to eliminate this drawback, providing a container that can easily be positioned, on a special support, for emptying into the grinder, without any danger of spilling part of its contents.
These objects are achieved with the container according to the invention which is described in detail below.
The support for such a container, for emptying thereof into a bar coffee grinder, is also described below.
Substantially, the container according to the invention, made by successive folding and welding of a multi-layered material, in particular a plastic laminate, with an inner layer that can be welded, for example polyethylene, is prism-shaped, in particular a parallelepiped, and has on one of its walls an opening, closed by a peel-off seal, through which the coffee can be emptied. This opening is advantageously made at a corner of the corresponding wall of the container, which is placed in an inclined position on a corresponding support, so as to allow complete emptying of the coffee beans.
The support has a seat able to receive the corresponding wall of the container with the opening, provided on the bottom with a mouth for emptying into the grinder, the opening of the container being placed to coincide with said mouth.
The seal that closes the opening provided in the container has a pull tab that comes to be positioned in a special slit in the support, following operation of a mobile plate, so as to allow said flap to be peeled easily.